The Lord says:
"Whatever situation you are facing at the moment, do not be wise in your own eyes and do not put your confidence in your own strength, but let Me take over. Let Me bring you from here. Let Me carry you through from here. For I am the Lord who cares for you. Do not allow yourself to hang on to the past, but let it go to Me. For I am beginning to do a new thing in your life. I will show you the necessary directions and instructions that you need. I will make the path straight for you. Humble yourself therefore, and live a life of submission and surrender."
Psalm 146:8 (NKJV) says, 'The Lord raises those who are bowed down.'
The words 'bowed down' here is 'kaphaph' in Hebrew. In the context of this verse, it can mean 'to stoop (lower down) humbly in emptiness (before God)'. In other words, emptying ourselves from pride, emptying ourselves from wrongful thought, and emptying ourselves from thinking that we know better. And for those who 'kaphaph', the Lord raises them!
Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.'
The word 'humility' here is 'anavah' in Hebrew. In the context of this verse, it can mean 'lowering oneself in meekness (before God)'. Here, lowering oneself isn't just an outward show for people to see. Instead, more importantly, it is first and foremost done inside of you or in your heart. So, it is not so much about bowing down or lowering down one's head, but rather, bowing down or lowering down one's heart before the Lord.
James 4:6-7 (NKJV) says, 'But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore, submit to God...'
The word 'submit' here is 'hupotasso' in Greek. In the context of our study today, it can mean 'to subordinate oneself (to God), to be obedient (to God), to be subjected (to God)'.
Don't get God wrong. He is not like a taskmaster. He doesn't look at us like a slave being bound. But when we allow ourselves to be subordinated to Him, to be obedient to Him, or to be subjected to Him, many evil or danger can be prevented. Why? Because He sees farther than us. He knows what are our pitfalls. He knows what are the 'landmines' or 'traps' ahead of us. So, when we humble ourselves before Him, we are effectively allowing ourselves to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit.
The devil will always want to try to influence us, whether through humans or through thoughts, or even through human ideologies or human philosophies. And that's how people get influenced and swayed away. But when you are subjected to God, you will not be subjected to any of these influences. You will not be deceived. You will not be so easily taken advantage of by the devil. You see, the devil can use humans to do that. You will not be lured by how the devil thinks or how the devil wants you to think.
That's why the Scripture says, 'Resist the devil, and the devil will flee from you.' (James 4:7) That's why the Lord is calling us to live a life of submission to Him. It is not to enslave us. It is to make the way straight for our future.
1 Peter 5:5-7 (NKJV) says, '"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.'
The word 'humble' here is 'tapeinoo' in Greek. It can mean 'to lower oneself', and in the context today, 'to lower oneself before God'. Again, you see 'to lower oneself before God' here, as we have explained earlier. It is a life of submission before God. It is a life of surrender before God. It is a life where you have the mindset of needing Him more than anything else or anyone else on earth. Now, that is the essence of what 'humility before God' is. It is about laying down your hearts before God, instead of being haughty and proud in your own eyes or in your own ways.
And that's why Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) says, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.' In other words, 'make smooth or make straight your paths'.
You see, all the Bible verses that we've read today tie up together. And that's what the Lord wants to tell us in this message today.
Proverbs 11:2 (NKJV) says, 'When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.'
How do we receive wisdom from God? By humbling ourselves before God. How do we see our paths smooth and straight ahead of us? By humbling ourselves before God.
In 1 Peter 5:5-7 just now, notice that Peter didn't stop at saying, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble", but he continued by saying, "Casting all your care to Him, because He cares for you".
To take things into your own hands instead of casting all your care to the Lord is like saying, "I can do it myself. I don't need God." But one aspect of humbling ourselves before God is to 'cast all our care to the Lord'.
In life, there will always be things that we cannot fully comprehend or understand as to why certain things happened. But beloved of God, whatever has happened in and around you, or no matter what has happened, the Lord wants to assure you today that He knows what He is doing in your life, and He sees the end from the beginning. Your part is to let it go to the Lord, and live a life of submission and surrender before Him. There will come a day you will begin to understand the many things that you cannot understand now. So, the Lord is calling you to be patient. Yet, the Lord is saying to you He is still in control. The jigsaw puzzle will eventually be solved, so to speak. But one thing for sure is the Lord always and will always have your best interests in His mind. Amen!
